During the shooting of videos or films for the cinema, remote control is often necessary of the movements of the telecamera or cinecamera, by controlling the framing on a special monitor positioned near the operator.
From now on, the telecamera will mainly be mentioned, with the understanding that what is said applies equally to the cinecamera. In fact, in theory and in practice, both in the case of a telecamera (electronically recorded image) and of a cinecamera (image recorded on film), the modality of use is identical, since both these filming systems contain the possibility of remote vision of the framed image. In fact, the telecamera produces an electronic image directly, which can be visualized on a normal monitor, while for the cinecamera it is possible to use a device called an "electronic loupe", which is nothing more than a small telecamera which films the framed image, taking it from the cinecamera finder.
Special supports exist for remote control of a telecamera, which, by means of remotely controlled electric motors, make it possible for it to move around the two filming axes, called PAN (horizontal) and TILT (vertical) respectively.
Remote operation of the telecamera can be carried out in two ways: by means of a lever (commonly called "joystick") with an angular amplitude proportional to the speed of motion of the telecamera, or by means of two handwheels which move the telecamera around the respective axes of PAN and TILT, at a speed proportional to their rotation speed. The framed image is controlled on a monitor located in a fixed position near the controls.
In both these systems therefore, the shift brought about by the operator is not translated into a corresponding shift of the telecamera, but into speed of its movement; that is, no relation of position exists between the lever (in the case where commands are given by means of a lever) and the head on which the telecamera is mounted, and for this reason the operator does not manage to perceive the movement of the telecamera, even if he follows the framing of it in a monitor.
These remote control system require operators who are highly specialized in these particular controls, since an ordinary operator would experience great difficulty in producing correct movements of the telecamera, as he would be working under very different conditions from those which he was used to. In fact, the telecamera is usually mounted on heads, called "fluid" or "gyroscopic", that is with clutches or rotating masses suitable for rendering the movements of the telecamera, which is moved bodily by the operator, less interrupted and smoother, and therefore the image in the finder shift in proportion of the movements imparted.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,708,541 discloses a remote control for heavy objects, especially searchlights or guns, according to the preamble of the appended independent claims, by which it is possible to actuate the object to be moved from a distance through very small angular movements, thanks to a complex system with two motors for each axis. This remote control is not specifically designed for telecameras or cinecameras and therefore it does not foresee the possibility of mounting a monitor on the casing actuated by the operator, for controlling the shot.
FR-A-2 264 298 discloses a very particular shooting system which consists in shooting two single films, one of a life-size subject and the other of a miniature backcloth, which are then superimposed to have a whole image. The operator does not see the miniature backcloth image taken by a remote controlled camera.